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Evans Nativity

Page history last edited by Eric Leonidas 12 years, 1 month ago

Evans, J. Martin. "A Poem of Absences." Milton Quarterly 27 (1993): 31-35.

 

Summary: In “A Poem of Absences,” J. Martin Evans asserts that, contrary to other critical analyses, Milton’s “Nativity Ode” is not about his own spiritual awakening, but casts the reader in the role of the convert. Evans examines Milton’s blatant lack of a subjective presence in the poem as well as the dehumanization of the scene as an effort to get the reader as close as possible to Christ, free of barriers. Although this was unusual for Puritan poems of the time, Evans believes that this is all part of Milton’s strategy of showing the reader his or her own awakening to the newly-born Messiah’s presence.

 

Evidence #1: Unlike the majority of poems related to the birth of Christ, Milton’s never turns personal. He doesn’t refer to himself in the first person, and doesn’t address a second-person character in the poem (“thou,” “thine,” etc.). Jesus is constantly addressed in the third person, providing a scene open for the reader alone to witness. The "Nativity Ode" does not suffocate the reader with the poet's personal significance towards the Nativity.

 

Evidence #2: Milton's "Nativity Ode" is a poem that displays an array of absences. The area in which many Nativity scenes have been displayed have been filled with many observes. However, in Milton's version the space is empty. Likewise, even Mary and Joseph do not stand where they have traditionally been placed. Milton displays this empty scene on purpose. The emptiness reflects, according to Evans, "the Puritan distaste for allowing any intermediary to intrude between the individual soul and its maker" (77). By displaying the Nativity as free of observers, Milton is forcing the reader to experience the Nativity not through the other views of the wisemen and shepherds but personally by ourselves. 

 

Opinion: Evans executes his thesis persuasively. Evans claims that unlike the majority of poems in relation to the Nativity scene, Milton does not allow for his own self-counciousness to enter his poem. Milton allows the reader to have a personal experience rather than a communal experience with the poet. Evans addresses many examples in which other poets such as John Donne, Ben Johnson and George Herbert, give a rather public display of the Nativity rather than a private display. These poets allow for their self-counciousness or own personal spiritual concerns to enter into the poem and disrupt the personal experience by the reader. Evans showed the examples of personal regeneration within the Nativity scene by fellow poets and the evidence of Milton's lacks of personal involvement within his article. This combination allowed for Evans to persuasively convince the reader that Milton's "Nativity Ode" is the primary illustration of the Nativity scene that allows the reader to stand alone. 

 

Comments (2)

Jen Glifort said

at 6:00 am on Feb 4, 2012

Hey, guys. Sorry if this is a mess right now; feel free to tweak it. I'm at the end of a graveyard shift so it might not be too coherent, haha. I'll check back and fix it up tomorrow.

Jen Glifort

Eric Leonidas said

at 3:55 pm on Feb 6, 2012

Liv and Jen,

Stephanie has had to drop our course, so you guys are a duo rather than a trio. Looks fine so far. Maybe give a couple of specific lines for evidence 1, and cite the stanza where M and J are "absent."

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